As has so often been the case, the Mariners' leader in home runs and the
league leader in RBI is the son of a famous big leaguer. Only this time, it
isn't the departed Ken Griffey Jr, it's Bret Boone.
|  | | The Mariners keep getting runners on, and Bret Boone keeps driving them home. |
Yes. Bret Boone. The 5-foot-10 second baseman who has changed teams four times and brought a .255 career average into Seattle this season. Boone took over the lead in RBI with his 12th and 13th home runs Monday night while driving in seven runs, prompting deafening cries of "Boooooone!" from the near-capacity crowd.
"I've had years when it wasn't 'Boone' they were yelling," Boone said.
"I've been on both sides. I've been booed and I've been Booned. I can tell
the difference.
"Stuff like (that ovation) is pretty rare. It may happen only once a season.
It's pretty special."
Boone has driven in 64 runs in Seattle's first 57 games, the sort of total that
brings out the calculators and the Hack Wilson projections. Boone will break
Wilson's record of 191 RBI just as soon as the Mariners give out Bret
Boone growth charts, but he has been one of the most important keys in
Seattle's staggering success.
When the Mariners signed him to a one-year contract over the winter they were looking for him to help compensate for
the departure of shortstop Alex Rodriguez. He's exceeded all expectations,
except perhaps his own.
Boone is not exactly the most humble man in baseball and that part of his
personality has alienated teams in the past. He remains confident -- asked
for his thoughts about Angelina Jolie dating a Mariners second baseman in
her new movie, he instantly replied, "She's a lucky (woman)" -- but he's
more than backing up the words this season.
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Over his head?
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Comparing Boone's 162-game averages over his 10-year career to his projected numbers over 162 games this season:
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162-game
average
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2001
projected
|
|
Runs
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76
|
108
|
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Hits
|
151
|
205
|
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HR
|
19
|
37
|
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RBI
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81
|
182
|
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Avg.
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.255
|
.328
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"The reason I have so many RBI is I've been swinging the bat well for two
months and I've come up to bat with a lot of people on base," said Boone,
who usually bats behind cleanup hitter John Olerud. "When I don't get a hit,
I'm probably leaving guys on base and when I get a hit I'm driving them
in."
This production isn't coming entirely out of nowhere. Boone hit 24 home runs and drove in 95 runs with Cincinnati in 1998. He hit 19 home runs and drove in 74 runs in 127 games with San Diego last year. He also worked out
extensively during the winter and came into camp with a chiseled physique.
"You're going to have your good days and your bad days, but the biggest thing is I've been consistent," Boone said. "That was one thing I wanted to do
this year is be more consistent and I've done that.
"I haven't gotten out of my basic plan. I don't know if that comes with
experience, where you play long enough and you get to a certain point where something just clicks. I don't want to overanalyze it. I did a lot of work
over the winter, but it wasn't like there was one thing I did differently
than in the past."
Jim Caple is a Senior Writer for ESPN.com.
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